Oreo and Squeak were a pair of kittens I looked after for my nephew for what was meant to be a few weeks. Those weeks have turned into over a year. And - in that time - other family members have referred to me as the animals' 'Cat Dad'.
I have been very reluctant to call myself a 'Cat Dad' because I am a relic from the '2 kool for skool' age. Or - I'd like to believe I am, anyway.
It seems being a cat dad is cool, though.
That is according to writer Alison Davies, whose book - Cat Dads: Your Guide to Feline Fatherhood - is set to be published next month.
A few days ago, I looked through.a list of upcoming titles on the Net Galley website. Davies' book stood out amongst all others because it seemed like an appropriate read considering my status as a relatively new owner of cats.
And a male owner, at that.
Davies comes across as a guru in this book of hers. She seems to understand a lot about felines and also what it takes to be an owner. Her knowledge is portrayed in a kind and witty style which somehow disguised that - underneath the happy-go-lucky way of writing - this reader was being taught about how important cats really are.
And how I - as a cat dad (if I am going to be called one) - am important to my cats.
That isn't all that is packed into this ninety-eight page book.
The second chapter consists of a quiz which asks specific questions to determine the kind of a cat dad I am. Based on the answers I gave, I am a 'Doting Daddy'. Apparently.
'Pawsome Tips' and famous quotes about cats appear throughout this guidebook to Cat Dadhood. Famous names like Jules Verne, Leonardo Da Vinci, Mark Twain and more have all written - or said - special things about the popular pet and these quotes have been picked by Davies to appear as interludes between the chapters.
Speaking of pages - it would be ignorance on my part to overlook the fine illustrations that Marie Ahfeldt has added throughout this book. They superbly compliment the writer's material.
One of the things I could resonate with when reading this book came in one of the early pages. Davies had a diagram which states that 'You're a Cat Dad if...' a conclusion which spun off from the opening part of the sentence was '...You order things online just to get more cardboard boxes for your cat to explore'.
It just so happens I read that part of the book an hour or so after a Costco order had arrived at my door. One of the first things I told my family, when I brought the box into the living room, was 'the boys will love this box!'
As you can see below, Oreo found his way in there like a shot:
Another sentence closer in this page of the book states that I am a cat dad if I 'talk about your cat constantly and find new ways to bring them into conversation'.
I have evidently done that here by mentioning Oreo and his new play area.
After reaching the end of the book, I couldn't help but think 'this would have been an even more fun read had it been set for release this time last year'. It would have been a welcomed guide to have at the start of my cat ownership journey and would have surely made me embrace being called a 'Cat Dad' sooner.
I am a Cat Dad.
Cat Dads: Your Guide to Feline Fatherhood by Alison Davies will be published this September. You can preorder a copy on Amazon UK (or order if you're reading this after September 2023) through the link below:
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